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Making health kits. Finished kits need to be delivered to Carol Joy Holling Camp on July 31. Instructions for making the kits can be found at www.lwr.org/beinvolved/healthkit.asp.
Help ship the container. The cost to ship is about $2.65 per kit. To ship 32,000, that means $84,800 needs to be raised. Donations can be sent through www.lwr.org/beinvolved/comfort.asp.
Kids at Lutheran camps in two Nebraska locations and one in Kansas will work this summer to fill an ocean freight container with 32,000 health kits to help families living in poverty.
Lutheran congregations are being encouraged to assemble health kits, too, to be shipped along with those assembled by the campers.
More than 1,500 youths will do the work as part of the Created for Community Project, a newly formed partnership between Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries and Lutheran World Relief.
The effort will be incorporated into camp sessions at Carol Joy Holling Camp near Ashland, Neb., Sullivan Hills near Lodgepole, Neb., and Camp Tomah Shinga at Junction City, Kan.
“I am excited to partner with Lutheran World Relief in an effort to educate our campers about being a part of the worldwide community,” said Pastor Brad Meyer, director for programs for Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. “Campers will learn how each of us is dependent upon one another, and the importance of helping people in need.”
Once assembled, the health kits will be sent to Lutheran World Relief’s warehouse in Maryland, then shipped overseas. The health kits are destined for Haiti as part of Lutheran World Relief’s ongoing response to the Jan. 12 earthquake that not only killed thousands but also left millions homeless and living in desperate conditions.
Each kit contains basic hygiene supplies to help reduce the spread of disease: a hand towel and washcloth, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, a comb, nail clippers and small adhesive bandages.
“We were looking for a partnership opportunity that would result in a large number of health kits being assembled,” said Brenda Meier, Lutheran World Relief’s director for congregation and community engagement. “Outdoor ministry is a perfect venue for this effort because servant leadership is at the core of what campers learn during their church camp experience.”
Dave Coker, executive director at Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, said, “I’m delighted that LWR sought us out with the idea. And I’m excited for the kids who will come to camp this summer. The health kit service project will help them connect to their faith in powerful ways.”
A blessing of the finished health kits is planned July 31, led by President John Nunes of Lutheran World Relief and Bishop Dave deFreese of the ELCA Nebraska Synod. The blessing will occur during Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries’ annual quilt auction fundraiser at Carol Joy Holling Camp.
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